'Secret Film Shows Iraq Prisoners Sodomized'

By Charles Arthur
Independent U.K.

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Young male prisoners were filmed being sodomized by American soldiers at the Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad, according to the journalist who first revealed the abuses there.

Seymour Hersh, who reported on the torture of the prisoners in New Yorker magazine in May, told an audience in San Francisco that "it's worse". But he added that he would reveal the extent of the abuses: "I'm not done reporting on all this," he told a meeting of the American Civil Liberties Union.

He said: "The boys were sodomized with the cameras rolling, and the worst part is the soundtrack, of the boys shrieking. And this is your government at war."

He accused the US administration, and all but accused President George Bush and Vice-President Dick Cheney of complicity in covering up what he called "war crimes".

16 July 2004

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Allies Reel as Abuse Row Grows
Herald Sun, Australia

Washington - New cases of alleged abuse of Iraqi prisoners by US soldiers have been uncovered.

The news comes three months after US media broadcast photos of detainees being sexually humiliated at the infamous Abu Ghraib prison.

"We're still uncovering, as late as this morning, other incidents, other cases that will be promptly investigated by the Department of Defence," Senate Armed Services Committee chairman John Warner said.

Senator Warner, a Republican, said there were possible violations of the Geneva Convention and Defence Department rules and regulations.

However, a Republican congressional source said the Pentagon was "dragging its feet and intends to postpone any hearing until after" the November 2 presidential election.

"There's a lot of frustration over here," he said.

Senator Warner said Pentagon officials also showed senators 24 confidential documents from the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The papers are part of an ICRC report on prisoner treatment in Iraqi jails written before the scandal broke in April.

Senator Warner has held three hearings on Abu Ghraib, and Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has testified before the committee.

Senator Warner said his panel's next public hearings would be held in September at the earliest. Open hearings on soldiers being investigated will not be held to avoid jeopardising their legal rights.

The Philippines said it would withdraw the head of its force in Iraq and 10 other members of the contingent as part of efforts to secure the release of a Filipino hostage.

Foreign Secretary Delia Albert said the remaining members of the 51-strong contingent would be withdrawn, though she did not say whether the withdrawal would take place before the kidnappers' July 20 deadline.

"The Philippines Government has recalled the head of the Philippines humanitarian contingent to Iraq. He is leaving Iraq today with 10 members of the Philippines humanitarian contingent," Ms Albert said in a statement.

"The rest of the members of the contingent will be out of Iraq shortly."

A headless corpse dressed in an orange jumpsuit has been found by Iraqi police in the Tigris river and handed over to US forces, but it has not yet been identified.

It was not known whether the body was that of a Bulgarian hostage killed by his captors earlier this week. It was found near Baiji, 180km north of Baghdad.

"The body had been decapitated. It was dressed in an orange jumpsuit," a spokeswoman said.

Kidnappers linked to al-Qaida ally Abu Musab al-Zarqawi said a week ago they had captured Bulgarian truck drivers Georgi Lazov, 30, and Ivailo Kepov, 32, and would kill them unless US-led forces released Iraqi prisoners.

Earlier this week, Arabic satellite television station al-Jazeera said it had received a videotape showing the decapitation of one of the Bulgarians.

Video of foreign hostages have often shown them wearing orange jumpsuits, which are typical of US jails and associated around the world with images of Muslims at Guantanamo Bay.

Protestors rallied in Baghdad yesterday, demanding the death penalty for deposed president Saddam Hussein.

Saddam is in Iraqi custody, charged with committing crimes against humanity. Posted by Bulatlat

17 July 2004

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